IFC Finals - First Round tie breaker entry

These photo scavenger hunts are fun and challenging! I believe this list of items was the most challenging yet:

Flowers 1 point
Swimming pool 1 point
Cave 1 point
Twin pillars 2 points
Spider 2 points
Shield 3 points
Dream catcher 3 points
Graffiti 3 points
Mayan or Aztec calendar 4 points
Lightning 5 points

Considering I did put myself rather uncomfortably close to danger today, I will follow the example of @youhavewings and quote the obvious:

If you somehow get hurt doing any of our quests you can not reasonably hold us accountable. Take responsibility for your own choices and actions in life. This is a voluntary game where you choose to play. Only you can make that decision for yourself.

Yessir!

Flowers

Right outside the front door. Check!

Swimming Pool

This was certainly a challenging week for me to participate, with family challenges I'd rather not get into, but will hint at here. I have two entries for swimming pool:

Both were taken during the contest period, neither with the @ifc tag. In the first, a real swimming pool is seen reflected in the background. The second is really just a fountain in the nursing home where my mother in law was transferred yesterday. You aren't supposed to swim there, but the little yellow ducky seems to be enjoying it. I like the way I ended up reflected in the window.

Cave

No chance for me to find this here in Southwest Florida, at least not this week. However, while sheltering under the eaves of my house waiting for lightning, I made a discovery...

That is a snakeskin hanging out of the cavern where my dryer vent exits the house. The snake? Who knows... creepy enough for partial credit, says I.

Twin Pillars

It's almost 7-11's birthday! Happy birthday, 7-11! They aren't pretty, but they are pillars. Just noticed that "11" makes a set of pillars, too.

Spider

Poor Spidey's web took a beating while I tried to line up the shot. This took a while. She rebuilt the web quickly, don't worry.

Shield

In case you aren't familiar with Minecraft, Steve here is hiding behind a shield he made himself.

Dream Catcher

I don't know about the dream catchers y'all found, but this one actually catches dreams. It may appear to be little more than a paper plate and string, but my son made it 2 years ago in preschool and he still relies on it to protect him from the bad dreams that cause so many 4-6 year olds to fear the night. Just last month, I had to repair it because two of the "spiders" had fallen off and the remaining guard was not able to catch enough dreams by himself.

Graffiti

There is not much graffiti in my town. We are a smallish city grown up from the suburb of a smallish city, and there are far more people willing to paint over graffiti than there are willing to make it. I might have screeched across the road pulling into the parking lot where I found this:

Mayan or Aztec Calendar

I really did try. Looked up the exhibits at the local art museum, nothing. Tried my local comic book store (there's a board game based on the Mayan calendar), but they didn't have it. Had to turn to Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull for the cloest representation of an Aztec calendar I could find:

Lightning

I can't believe some of you actually captured lightning! I am clearly not equipped to capture it, but it's not for lack of trying. In subtropical summers we have thunderstorms. Every. Day. So here's my mini #ulog:

After discovering the snake-cave under the eaves...


Hey, wasn't this part of the last challenge?

Another storm, but no luck...

Today was the big one!

Storm approaching. I'll be safe laying in the grass, for now...

Raining now. Retreat to my entryway...

Storming. Retreat to the garage...

Note that there are NO PIECES OF TREE next to my car.

By this point, lightning is cracking every few seconds, quite close. I've retreated further into the garage, but can't believe I still haven't caught a streak. I'm using a night setting that takes a short burst, but no luck.

Crack. BOOM!
I watch a CHUNK OF TREE skitter across my driveway. It comes to rest near my front tire.

Lightning continues to crack every few seconds. I can clearly see it reflected in the water on the driveway. Just can't catch the photons.

The tree, from my office window.


Another view, after the storm.

And in case the above doesn't count, the window at the comic shop!

No Power Spot

It has come to my attention that I sorely need a power spot near my home, as well as a place that at least functions as one within my home.

I have decided to create one. Obviously not in time for the contest, but stay tuned!

[Minor edits made to this post, because it drives me nuts when my photos upload sideways!]

[UPDATE] This tiebreaker round having gone into OverTime, I pushed to create my Power Spot today! Here is the post: https://steemit.com/ifc/@wholeself-in/power-up-ifc-finals-round-1-tiebreaker-ot